The Waterloo Warriors owe much of their success on the football field this season to their youthful exuberance. But late in their home finale against the Guelph Gryphons on Saturday, that turned into inexperienced miscues at the worst possible time.

Gryphons running back Johnny Augustine scampered in from 22 yards with just 23 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter to give Guelph a come-from-behind 53-49 victory over the Warriors in a wild Reunion game at Warrior Field on Saturday afternoon.

Guelph's game-winning drive was set up by a pair of poorly-timed Waterloo penalties – an offsides call on a kickoff, followed by a personal foul on the re-kick – that gave Guelph a short field, down 49-46. Originally, Guelph was poised to start their final drive from inside their own 10-yard line, but the flags saw them begin from Waterloo's 45. All told, the Warriors were flagged 17 times on the day.

The loss prevented Waterloo from clinching a playoff berth for the first time in 14 years, as they fell to 4-2 on the season. Meanwhile, the Gryphons rescued their postseason aspirations by moving to 3-3 on the season as they enter their bye week.

The Guelph comeback ruined another prolific day from Waterloo's high-octane offense. The black and gold put up 552 yards of total offense, led by their quarterback duo of Lucas McConnell (Waterford/) and Tre Ford (Niagara Falls/) – the duo combined to go 17-23 for 354 yards and 2 touchdowns, while adding 107 yards and a pair of Ford touchdown runs on the ground. Tyler Ternowski (Hamilton/) also had a huge game, catching 5 passes for 247 yards and a 95-yard touchdown bomb.

The Warriors led 29-12 at halftime, with Theo Landers making his first career start under centre. The offense struggled mightily in the first 30 minutes, as Guelph registered only 3 first downs and no touchdowns – Guelph's only major of the first half came on a Jason Richards 96-yard kickoff return.

But the Gryphons made some halftime adjustments and started tracking down the Warriors. Waterloo was resilient in extending their lead every time the Gryphons cut it down to one score, until Gabe Ferraro hit field goals of 51 and 41 yards to tie it up at 46-46 with under three minutes to play.

After forcing a Waterloo punt, the Gryphons looked poised to drive for the go-ahead score. But Guelph muffed the punt – their fifth turnover of the day, and second on special teams – to set up Waterloo kicker Caleb Girard (Waterford/) for a go-ahead 42-yard field goal with 76 seconds to play. On the day, Girard went 4-5 with 5 extra points.

That led to the back-to-back flags on the Waterloo kick coverage unit, giving Guelph instant life. While the Gryphons were already in range for a tying field goal, Augustine rushed in for the decisive blow with under a minute to play. On the day, Augustine rushed for 91 yards and 3 touchdowns, while Landers added 106 yards and a touchdown on the ground.

On the defensive side of the ball, the Warriors got big performances from Michael Reid (Sault Ste. Marie/), with 8 solo tackles, and Brandon Corelli (Sault Ste. Marie/), who registered a sack, a forced fumble, and an interception in his final regular season home game. Harjas Bal (Brampton/) also added a pick, while Paul Kaija (Sarnia/) registered 1.5 sacks.

The Warriors won't have much time to dwell on the tough loss, as they'll head to Kingston on Thursday, October 5 to take on the Queen's Gaels on the short pre-Thanksgiving week. Kickoff from Richardson Stadium is slated for 6:30 pm.